Which statement best differentiates croissant dough from puff pastry?

• A. Puff pastry uses yeast and croissant dough contains no yeast.
• B. Puff pastry uses no yeast and relies on folds for flakiness; croissant dough contains yeast and a defined lamination with a proofing stage.
• C. They differ only in shape.
• D. Croissant dough uses no butter; puff pastry uses butter.

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is how leavening and building the flaky layers differ between the two laminated doughs. Puff pastry is unleavened, so its lift comes from the steam created during baking and the many precise folds that build countless butter-soaked layers. Croissant dough, on the other hand, includes yeast and undergoes fermentation plus a proofing stage, in addition to lamination, which gives it its characteristic rise and airy texture alongside the layered structure. That combination of yeast-driven rise and a defined proofing step is what sets croissant dough apart from puff pastry.

So, the statement that best differentiates them is that puff pastry uses no yeast and relies on folds for flakiness, while croissant dough contains yeast and has a defined lamination with a proofing stage. The other options misstate or oversimplify the differences: they aren’t just different in shape, and both doughs use butter.